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IN 2012, 139 people were hit by New York City trains; 54 died.

In the wake of an unusually bloody year (the 54 deaths mark a five-year high, according to the NY Daily News), and two high-profile cases in December in which subway riders were pushed to their deaths, some have called for sliding doors that would keep people from falling onto the tracks.

Subways with such doors include the Singapore MRT, some of Beijing’s system, and two lines of Paris’ metro.

And while New York’s MTA has considered the idea before, it would likely be too complicated and costly to implement. Many platforms are used by different lines, with trains whose doors are not uniformly placed. In a statement, the MTA explained installing doors would be nearly impossible:

Based on the MTA’s preliminary analysis, the challenge of installing platform edge barriers in the New York City subway system would be both expensive and extremely challenging given the varied station designs and the differences in door positions among some subway car classes.

But in light of recent tragic events, we will consider the options for testing such equipment on a limited basis. Of course, we remind customers of the overall safety of the subway system but urge them to stand well back from the platform edge and remain watchful of their surroundings.

Alex Goldmark of Transportation Nation reports that while the MTA will not cite a cost estimate for the doors, installation could cost more than $1 million per station. New York’s subway system has 468 stations.

That is too much money for the nearly broke and greatly troubled MTA. Despite excellent preparation, its infrastructure was hard hit by Hurricane Sandy, and the recovery will be a long one. Repairs of the South Ferry station alone will cost around $500 million.

The board and former chairman Joe Lhota (who just left the post to consider a run for mayor) recently approved a fare hike, the fourth in five years, to take effect on 1 March. The hike does not account for the cost of post-Sandy repairs, and certainly not for nearly $500 million extra for sliding doors.

In March, NYC Transit division President Thomas Prendergast called for “an aggressive marketing campaign” to warn subway riders to keep their distance from the edge of the platform, the NY Daily News reported.

That is likely the best the cash-strapped, temporarily leaderless MTA can do for now.

- Alex Davies

Read: Second person pushed in front of New York subway train>